2nd kitless pen ever.

[Joebobber]

I had an itch to try making a kitless, so after 2 days of fighting here is what I got. The red is paella burl and the yellow is Eucalyptus burl. The paella was great to work with and if I would've made it all from it it wouldn't have taken me so long. The Eucalyptus was from a root burl with alot of voids and inclusions in it that caused alot of problems. It is also much softer wood. I also turned the center ring from Eucalyptus burl.

My main complaint with it is the cap. I think the cap is too long. I also dont like how the clip looks with the finial. I think maybe the red paella would've been a better finial.

Please don't judge too harshly, its my 2nd ever attempt.

 

[rixstix]

Nice look. I wish my dozen'th attempt looked that good. I like the alternating colors/textures.

The cap may be a bit long for my taste but the clip/finial fit my eyes very well.

 

[Joebobber]

It seems like such a simple thing to make it blows me away just how much time and planning goes into 1 of these. I tried using the Fibonacci sequence to guage how long the cap should be, since I had a 3" body I made a 2" cap but I used too much paella on it. I don't know. How does everyone else decide dimensions?

 

[Dieseldoc]

For you first tries I think you have gone great. Kitless pen can be a challenge in getting it put together and look great.
\
This one I think a small band would look best. These kind of design things you just have to do.

 

[duncsuss]

It looks pretty good - I really like the insets in the finial and barrel end.

For the next one, I'd make a change to the clip ring - if it's the same wood above and below the ring, I'd try to hide it completely (which might require grinding it down to get it to fit inside the wood). If the finial above the ring is a different material than the main part of the cap, work on getting the fit perfect so the wood either side of the ring is flush.

One way to make the cap and barrel look more balanced might be to add another feature near the end of the barrel, or - since it's a closed end barrel - you can make it a bit longer, and trim it afterwards to a length that you feel works better with the cap.

I have to ask though - in what way is this kitless? It looks like you're using the clip, the nose cone, the grip section, and the threaded components from a kit.

 

[Alan Morrison]

I like your choice of timbers.
I never heard of paella burl before, I only thought of paella as a Spanish dish.

 

[Joebobber]

I have to ask though - in what way is this kitless? It looks like you're using the clip, the nose cone, the grip section, and the threaded components from a kit.

I thought I maybe should've tried the paella above the ring but I decided not to because i thought it would be too much paella.

My understanding of a kitless pen is it is not a kit. There are no tubes, the clip is from a full sized Gentleman kit, and the tip/nib section and center ring are from parts I had. What should it be called? Whatever it is, it is the 2nd one I've tried. I'm not super familiar with definitions of terms. Perhaps a conglomerate of leftovers?

 

[jttheclockman]

I thought I maybe should've tried the paella above the ring but I decided not to because i thought it would be too much paella.

My understanding of a kitless pen is it is not a kit. There are no tubes, the clip is from a full sized Gentleman kit, and the tip/nib section and center ring are from parts I had. What should it be called? Whatever it is, it is the 2nd one I've tried. I'm not super familiar with definitions of terms. Perhaps a conglomerate of leftovers?

I had the same thought as I looked at the pen. We get so hung up on names of our work. I like the idea of doing ink pens and rollerball so called kitless. If I to do one like this I too would do exactly what you did. So lets hear some new names for this style pen. How about Semi- Kitless.?

By the way nice work on your second one and am sure if you continue down this road they will even get better and the ideas will keep coming.

 

[sorcerertd]

Kitless, kit parts, eh, whatever. You did a custom pen with random parts that was not intended to go together as a kit. I think it looks very good. I hope that, when I venture into this "kitless" realm, my second attempt looks this good.

Critique? Well, as far as the cap, to me it doesn't look too long because of the clip. You can't take much off the finial, but maybe a mm, but maybe could remove the extra band at the threaded end. Also, IMO, it would look better with a ring of something to separate the union of the different woods, even a veneer or credit card (guitar pick nylon?).

Did you turn it open on both ends, then just plug them with the paella? If so, what did you turn it on? Mandrel, collet and rod, TBC? I had thought that, when I attempt this, I would start with an open end like that. I'd probably use a tube anyway for stability.

 

[Displaced Canadian]

What I did to get the cap/body proportions correct was measure a kit pen and work from there. It's about 80 mm for the pen body without the nib and 50mm for the cap. After that, just eyeball it. Take good notes on what you did and write down what you think you may want to change. Name the picture of the pens and the paper the same so you can see what you did and how it turned out. One thing I would say is on the next one try get the cap closer to the diameter of the ring on the clip. The best part of going this route with your pen making is you have more fun per dollar spent. Don't worry about what to call it, you made a pen that nobody can just buy 1 bag of parts and a blank and duplicate. Because of this attempt you now understand more about pen design than most. Keep it up, I think pen making is about the journey not the result. Don't be afraid to show your work or ask questions. I always like to see wooden kitless pens.

 

[Chriscb]

What I did to get the cap/body proportions correct was measure a kit pen and work from there. It's about 80 mm for the pen body without the nib and 50mm for the cap. After that, just eyeball it. Take good notes on what you did and write down what you think you may want to change. Name the picture of the pens and the paper the same so you can see what you did and how it turned out. One thing I would say is on the next one try get the cap closer to the diameter of the ring on the clip. The best part of going this route with your pen making is you have more fun per dollar spent. Don't worry about what to call it, you made a pen that nobody can just buy 1 bag of parts and a blank and duplicate. Because of this attempt you now understand more about pen design than most. Keep it up, I think pen making is about the journey not the result. Don't be afraid to show your work or ask questions. I always like to see wooden kitless pens.

Absolutely bang on the nail. Cap/body proportions have been worked out years ago by far better crafts people than I will ever be. I measured as many pens I could, both kit and commercial pens, and derived a ratio of cap to visible body. I then base my kitless pen on that. For the most part it works out, but occasionally I make a shorter or longer pen, which also looks balanced. I have copious notes on every pen I've made, a great aid to learning.
Some comments on your pen. The choice of contrasting wood is really good, but I'd suggest that the Paella burl be equal both sides of the centre band, and be of the same width. Also the outside diameter of the clip is forcing you to widen the top of the cap, yet the centre band is narrower. Get rid of the clip, and turn the cap straight. Use a stud earring or similar to create a roll stop. Turn the barrel straight and that will, I think improve what is already a really good pen.
Lets call it a hybrid.
Well done and go, make some more.

 

[Joebobber]

Did you turn it open on both ends, then just plug them with the paella? If so, what did you turn it on? Mandrel, collet and rod, TBC? I had thought that, when I attempt this, I would start with an open end like that. I'd probably use a tube anyway for ststability.

I probably cheated, but because the paella is so dense I turned the entire body out of it, then drilled out the Eucalyptus and glued it on. Then turned it to the size I wanted. I did the same for the cap. The 1st one I did I turned the 1st wood open and made plugs, but for me I thought doing it this way might be better. I made mandrels for the body and cap and finial out of pieces I had laying around. That was tricky in itself because of the different size holes I made in the body and getting things to fit tight without splitting anything.

 

[sorcerertd]

I probably cheated, but because the paella is so dense I turned the entire body out of it, then drilled out the Eucalyptus and glued it on. Then turned it to the size I wanted. I did the same for the cap. The 1st one I did I turned the 1st wood open and made plugs, but for me I thought doing it this way might be better. I made mandrels for the body and cap and finial out of pieces I had laying around. That was tricky in itself because of the different size holes I made in the body and getting things to fit tight without splitting anything.

Is it really cheating if you did it all yourself and it came out good?